Distant Memories, part 3
by Highland-Spring
Summary: The concluding part of my story. I hope you enjoy it and please continue to read and review. P.S Another story will be up soon! :-)


Distant Memories part 3.  
  
Finally, guests left and Brandyhall filed out and quietened down. Pippin had stayed close to Merry's side throughout the entire evening since and Frodo had kept well away. Now though, truths were to be found and a lot of explaining was to be done.  
  
"Are you certain it was Frodo?" Merry asked, silent doubt in his mind.  
  
Pippin nodded and remained sitting in the study, where Merry had taken him to discuss what they were going to do.  
  
"Yes. I remember it was him-most defiantly." Pippin answered matter-of- factly.  
  
Merry called to Eglantine, Paladin, Saradoc and Esmeralda and asked them to sit down. He then chose to tell them what Pippin had said himself, knowing it would be far better coming from him.  
  
"But how could it be Frodo?" Paladin asked.  
  
Merry shrugged and looked to Pippin. Pippin stared at his father for a while and then looked down to his feet.  
  
"It was Frodo, Da." He said quietly.  
  
Paladin frowned.  
  
"But?" He questioned.  
  
Pippin slowly looked up again-his green eyes burned into his fathers and they were motionless save the stares of realisation for quite a time.  
  
"But it wasn't just Frodo." Pippin mumbled.  
  
Paladin knew his son had done something wrong. Pippin had told him himself, when he had first awoken, that he'd done something bad. He hadn't spoken of it further knowing the facts would not be wholly correct if he had of done. Paladin sighed.  
  
"What did you do?" He asked after a while.  
  
Pippin looked like he was about to cry. Merry frowned. He didn't quite know where this was going-Frodo had thrown the bucket-surly they didn't need to question the Took further, did they?  
  
"I caused the Fire." Pippin said very, very softly.  
  
Eglantine let out a somewhat surprised gasp and Saradoc shook his head- through anger or some other form of emotion, no-one could tell and even Merry stared wide-eyed at his cousin's mishap.  
  
"But it was accident and if Frodo hadn't of distracted me, I would never have dropped the lantern. See, I was trying to get the mice out of the barn, when Ma called me away, so I got the apples from her to give to Farmer Emery, but I left them by the fence so I could go and get the mice before he came back. Anyway, I went back inside the barn and was under the planks he's got in there, when Frodo shouted at me for being in there. I was so surprised, that I jumped up, let go of the lantern, and the whole thing went up." Pippin's voice dropped to almost a whisper.  
  
Everyone just sat there, staring-not quite able to believe such a thing, but Merry cleared his throat and was first to speak.  
  
"So that Bucket-it could possibly of had water in it?" Merry questioned.  
  
Pippin shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. I think Frodo was more concerned with putting the fire out that where he was throwing the water." Pippin answered miserably.  
  
Paladin let out a sigh and stood up.  
  
"Is Frodo still here?" He asked.  
  
Saradoc nodded and stood also. They both went to call upon the Baggins, but Pippin had a sudden feeling of deep regret. He'd accused Frodo of hurting him-cracking his skull, but all he'd done was put the fire out. As usual, Pippin had caused this mess-and, as usual, he was in deep, deep trouble.  
  
***  
  
Late night passed into early morning, but still things needed to be sorted. Frodo had sat down with Paladin and Saradoc and had told his part of the story, yet things still seemed not to add up completely.  
  
"How, then if you were hit in the barn, did you escape the barn and go all the way back to the fence with only a cut on your head. Why did you not smell of smoke or get burnt? Frodo claims he threw water on the barn and then went with Sam to get Farmer Emery. He didn't even know you were in that barn. He said that the barn door was opened so he shouted to Sam asking if it was him that had opened it. The next thing he knew was the barn going up in flames." Paladin explained.  
  
Pippin was tired. His facts were still getting mixed up and he was getting more and more frustrated by his father's questioning.  
  
"So did Frodo hit you-or did something else hit you? How on earth did you manage to get out of that barn?" Eglantine asked.  
  
Pippin let out a somewhat defeated sigh and shook his head.  
  
"I don't know anymore. I thought it was Frodo because I saw him in my dream- but someone spoke-they actually came into the barn and called my name. When I looked round, I was sure it was Frodo standing there. I wouldn't have jumped half as much if he had said: 'Sam!' Someone was in that barn with me, Da, someone came in and shouted: 'Peregrin!' And it's only Frodo that calls me by my right name. Everyone else calls me Pippin or Pip." Pippin explained.  
  
Saradoc frowned, but then yawned tiredly.  
  
"Maybe we should see Farmer Emery tomorrow. I think we could all do with some sleep-don't you?" He suggested.  
  
"Maybe it was Frodo, you know." Merry said thoughtfully.  
  
Everyone looked to him.  
  
"I mean, if I saw Pippin was in the barn and then saw it go up in flames, I think I'd be shouting to him." Merry said.  
  
Pippin shook his head.  
  
"It wasn't that sort of shouting. It was like I'd done something wrong. It was worried or annoyed it was angry shouting, Merry. I can't remember. I tried to-I thought I did, but that just turned out to be nothing but silly nonsense. I know I started the fire. I didn't mean to but I did-no-one else could've done, I was the only one in the barn. I don't know how I got out and I don't know who hit me over the head, but I can't remember anymore than that. I really, really can't I'm sorry Frodo-I'm sorry for getting you into trouble and making everyone mad at you. Please don't be mad at me, I'm just so confused and, and-" Pippin finally broke down.  
  
Paladin was at his son's side in an instant. He could never stay angry with his son for long, and the poor lad couldn't tell truth from thought at this moment in time. Someone else must've been there. There had to be someone else other than Sam, Frodo and Pippin. Pippin must've had a very, very, good cause to drop that lantern, if in actual fact, it had been him at all, but there were many questions it seemed, that still remained unanswered.  
  
***  
  
They decided that they'd worked more than enough on the cause and decided to call it a night. When morning came, however, a new panic set in as they soon discovered that Pippin was gone. Merry was first to find his bedroom empty-his bed hardly touched, let alone slept in, and he had felt panic rise and at first, felt incapable of what he should be doing.  
  
"Ma!" He shouted.  
  
It wasn't exactly searching for his cousin, it was a mere shout out, but at that moment it was all he could muster. A call from her son at such an early hour seemed to reminder her of his younger days of waking early and not wanting to be alone.  
  
"What's the matter, Merry-lad?" she asked, ambling through the halls.  
  
"Ma, Pippin's gone! He's not been here all night by the looks of things. Ma, I'm really worried. After last night, I don't know what he could be thinking." Merry stammered.  
  
Esmeralda wrapped an arm around Merry's shaking shoulders and led him up the hall to his parents' room.  
  
"Saradoc," she whispered.  
  
His father stirred and sat up. He looked first to Merry and then to his wife.  
  
"What's going on?" He asked groggily.  
  
Merry stood forward a little, though his mother's comforting arm never left his shoulder.  
  
"Pippin's gone, dad. It really serious this time. He was in such a state last night before he slept. I stayed up with him for a while, and he really didn't seem like the Pippin I know. Surely he wouldn't have done anything foolish, would he? Would he?" Merry repeated the question, in need of reassurance from another.  
  
"No, son, I don't believe he would. Lets just calm down, alright, we need to wake Paladin and Eglantine and Frodo and then maybe we can get some findings on where he might've gone." Saradoc said calmly.  
  
Once everyone was awake, things did not seem to improve very much. Eglantine had automatically burst into a fit of tears into the comforting arms of Paladin, who was doing his best to hide his worry. Frodo had sighed, believed Pippin to be attention seeking, which had caused a row between himself and Merry, and Saradoc had tried to smooth things over with the help of Esmeralda, but no one seemed to be listening.  
  
"Look! This is not going to find us Pippin!" Paladin suddenly shouted.  
  
Merry's usually softy-spoken Uncle had shocked them all with his shout, but it worked and they all stopped fighting and arguing and whatever else it was they were doing.  
  
"I want my son back. I don't know where he is, why he's run off or what's wrong with him, I'm sorry if you think this is trivial, but I don't. He is my only son-my youngest child and is no where near well enough to be running around all night. He is confused, angry, upset-everything, all these emotions are at their peak and I know that for a fact he's very scared. He's scared for the thought of forgetting us. All of us. And we don't deserve to have that much love from the way we're behaving now. I'm going out to find him, alright, anyone else want to help, please do, but I all I want is my son safely back with me."  
  
Paladin's voice softened toward the end of his statement, and for a moment, a likeness between Pippin and his father could be seen. Of course they looked similar-Pippin was lucky enough to get his father's sharp, yet somewhat soft features, as opposed to his mother's somewhat podgy but chiselled existence, but for once, Merry noticed a tone in his Uncle's voice, a look and a characteristic of Pippin that matched his Uncle perfectly. Pippin and his father shared something exactly: a talent of reasoning, a way of explaining their fears without causing too much fuss: a look of understanding and somewhat strange calmness in a time where normal Hobbits would be panicking. Merry nodded.  
  
"Come on, then." He said.  
  
Paladin, Merry and Saradoc took to the fields, whilst Esmeralda, Eglantine and Frodo stayed behind in case Pippin came back.  
  
***  
  
Buckland was a rather large place to get lost in. You most certainly wouldn't like to be out in a snowstorm, but at night-time-that was far worse. It wasn't that it was unsafe, it was just very dark, and full of strange creatures of the night. Stories of such things had filled Pippin's little body with wholesome fear when he was younger, and he still did not feel too comfortable with being outside and away from the cosy rooms of Brandyhall. But he also knew that he could not stay. He needed to know what had happened. He felt sure he'd caused the fire-he'd dropped the lantern- he'd been there, smelled the smoke and seen the flames, but somehow things did not add up. It was not his most greatest idea to go all the way back to the Great Smials knowing that it took the best part of a day by cart, and he'd never really walked far enough to know the length of time it would take by walking. He never really walked very far, anyway. He didn't much like walking. But he had to get away-had to find out what really happened. He felt so confused, so angry, but mostly, upset at the fact he could not determine who he was anymore. One minute he'd be his normal, happy self-the next minute, he'd be struggling to remember the name of his own father. It was pure pain he was going through, and it hurt him just to think about it.  
  
"He's got to be somewhere! He couldn't have gone all that far!" Merry called.  
  
He'd taken the lead and had walked, rather quickly, ahead of them all in an attempt to find Pippin more quickly.  
  
"Sounds silly, but he wouldn't have gone back to the Smials, would he?" Saradoc suggested.  
  
Paladin stopped. He turned to face his brother-in-law and nodded suddenly.  
  
"Yes! I bet he's gone back to the farm. Gone back to work things out. There's no time to get a cart ready, we've got to go now!"  
  
They turned their direction west and began making their way back to the Smials in last hopes of finding Pippin.  
  
***  
  
By the time Pippin arrived back to Hawthorn Farm, he was very hungry and his feet hurt very much. He idly jumped the fence and shuffled over to the burnt-out remains of the barn. Farmer Emery wouldn't be home yet. He'd be out ploughing the fields or collecting the corn or other vegetables. Pippin stood staring at the barn for a long, long time. He finally built up the courage to go inside and took an attentive step inside. He remembered the heat of the fire upon his face. He remembered the way it made him sweat. He remembered the over-compelling smell of smoke as it fumigated through his chest and made him cough so violently. He remembered trying to escape, trying to get out, but something was blocking the way. A beam had fallen, blocked his path and he was trapped in the barn. He remembered the voice, turning, seeing someone, dropping the lantern, but it did not set light. The lantern bounced on the floor before weakly snuffing out. Pippin hadn't caused the fire at all. He remembered it all so clearly now. He dropped his lantern but had scooped it up long before it would have chance to light. But when he had turned, all he had remembered was a sharp pain to the back of his head, fiery oranges, a plume of smoke and then nothing but darkness.  
  
"Peregrin!" A voice cut sharply through his thoughts.  
  
The voice wasn't angry, but it was soft, either. Pippin turned slowly and frowned, trying to make out the hobbit, in the failing light. Pippin stepped over and gasped in surprise.  
  
"Trefoil! You set light to the barn!" he whimpered.  
  
Trefoil stepped back.  
  
"No-no I didn't, really, I didn't. I wanted to see Pearl-remember, I wanted to see Pearl because I was going to ask her if she wanted to accompany me to the Green Dragon."  
  
Trefoil was Farmer Emery's nephew and had loved Pearl since the day he set eyes on her. He'd always wait for her, showing off the apples or turnips and vegetables in a bid to impress her. The only time he ever did impress her was when he saved Pippin from drowning in a stream, but that had been a long time ago-ten years ago, at least.  
  
"You shouted to me, and then the barn went up. You must've started the fire." Pippin said, suddenly finding his confidence.  
  
Trefoil shook his head again and seemed to back away from the Took who was a mere half his size in height and lesser still in weight.  
  
"Why did you do it? You knew I was in the barn! Why did you set it alight?" Pippin shouted. Pippin felt the anger build up inside him.  
  
"Actually, why did you throw that bucket at me? Did you not think I'd figure out who it was? What did I do to you?"  
  
Pippin's shrill and angry shouts filled the air and Trefoil was becoming more and more nervous at the accusations.  
  
"Alright! I'm sorry! I did set light to the barn. I did throw that bucket and I did know you were in there-but I didn't plan any of this. Never could I have planned any of this." Trefoil stammered.  
  
Pippin stood there for a few moments, his fists clenched at his sides, his breathing rapid and angry. He stood there silently until he calmed and he then drew in a deep breath and let it out.  
  
"But why?" he asked softly.  
  
Trefoil stood there for a few moments, ashamed of everything he'd done and was about to do. He looked to Pippin and then back to his feet.  
  
"For a dare." He replied miserably.  
  
Pippin felt the rage rising through him again, but somehow managed to keep it in. He did not speak further, could not speak further. He had nothing more to say-Trefoil's words were more than enough.  
  
"Pippin!" Merry's voice cut through the air.  
  
Pippin turned, never relived so very much in his whole entire life to see his cousin-his best friend.  
  
"Pippin are you alright?" Paladin asked.  
  
Pippin wasn't listening. He was already in tears and in the arms of Merry, soothing and consoling his younger cousin and telling him that everything would be all right.  
  
***  
  
Overtime, things discovered were better left alone. Trefoil had been mixing in with the wrong crowd, as it were, and had used blindness to truth. Once a faithful friend to Pippin and even more so Pearl, Trefoil had changed and found himself on the wrong side of the track. It had been Sam that had pulled Pippin from the barn, dragged him back to the fence and called upon Mr. Frodo to get help. It had been Sam who had stayed with Pippin until Frodo and help had arrived and it had been Sam who had helped put out the fire. Sam, though, had continued his daily routine and did not expect thanks or riches. He was just doing his job. Trefoil, however, had been carted away from the Farm, and would never return to the Shire as long as Paladin was Thain and Saradoc was Master. Things would change when they passed, but that was a long time off.  
  
After countless apologies, thank you's and endless streams of tears of happiness, weeks passed, months grew colder, nights grew darker, but Pippin still remained the happy, sunny Hobbit he'd always been, relived that his memory was finally coming back to him and even more happy that he would remember his friends and family in the rest of his days that allowed him to.  
End. 


End file.
